Is the Malaysian Education System Changing?

As per a recent announcement at a press conference for
the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun
Dr. Mahathir, that he would be the Minister of Education. In reply to the question
about taking such a decision, he uttered that he took the decision as many
people in Malaysia appeared to be uneducated. Also, he wished to look after the
Malaysian education system closely for changing it.

As per Tun M, the more technology-savvy procedure should
take place of the traditional teaching method with blackboard and whiteboard.
His suggestion reflects that because of the dearth of teachers in the schools,
the education system failed to enact various techniques like making use of
software that everyone can access.

Many Malaysian parents have chosen to withdraw their
kids from government schools due to the poor quality of teachers and amenities.
They are opting from the private schools, Chinese-Vernacular schools and
home-schooling instead.

More experience-driven education is required rather than
an exam-driven education. According to the current education minister Maszlee
Malik, Malaysia has planned to strengthen the education system by emphasizing
more on the humanistic and value-driven education embracing values such as
love, mutual respect, and happiness.

The ministry wishes to produce a fun, safe and positive
learning environment where priority will be rendered to the social and
emotional well-being of the students. However, according to Maszlee, it is not
easy to move from the present exam-based and growth-oriented educational
system.

Maszlee said that to bring a change in the education
system, it needs enormous cultural change and a shift if mindset. It should
involve the teachers, parents, employers and beyond.

He also mentioned in his speech delivered at the
Education World Forum that children won’t receive justice if the seniors
continue to expect them to survive in a world that is not appropriate for the
children to be socially and emotionally fit in.

The endeavor to create a value-driven education system
inclusive of the working with others outside the system as a liability couldn’t
be handled by teachers and students without further help.

The ministry is working with NGOs and parents.
Presently, there are over 90% of the entire Malaysian schools that have parents
involved in school events. The plan is being made to make these involvements
more significant.

What
should have done to bring progress in the education system in Malaysia?

The education system must make an introduction of
various pathways for the students to blossom their potential to the maximum.

Teachers must not be overloaded with non-teaching work
that can harm their teaching skills.

The students should be enabled to pursue as per their
interest and what they are best at.

Rush to complete the syllabus for the main examination should be stopped. Exam-based teaching should not be supported.

Many people do not realize that teachers are the
backbones of their success and careers. Hence, they must be given due respect.
It is the teacher who teaches the required skills and knowledge needed to rise
in life.

A part of the Malaysian society has the perception that
teaching is not a good job which is required to be changed as soon as possible.

School administration must be handled separately by
professionals other than the subject teachers who are already burdened with the
co-curricular participation that is compulsory.

It is believed that there is nothing good to have two
streams like Science and Arts when only one is supplied with incentives.

There is an atmosphere of fear promoted in Malaysian
schools. This fear is the fear of failure, humiliation, and disapproval that
intimately lay influence on the capacity of the student for intellectual
growth.

The ongoing strategies of teaching foster a fear of
humiliation in the kids. It is doing more harm than meeting their actual needs.
These fears lead the students to make headway to the coping strategies or the
defense mechanisms such as acting like they are not getting the lesson,
mumbling, acting being over-enthusiastic, or simply avoiding being in the place
where they can be judged by the adults. Certain external rewards like
certificates for privileges and good grades further deepen the kids’ fear of
failing in exams.

Instead of learning the lessons in class., the students
are bend towards learning the way to dodge the embarrassment through rote
memorization and vomiting the entire mugged up lessons for achieving A grades.
The environment of fear is putting an end to the kids’ love of learning and his
native curiosity. They are becoming scared of taking chances and related risks
required for true learning.

The Malaysians are trying to overcome these issues and
there is a change going on in the education system.

Description:
Many
Malaysian parents have chosen to withdraw their kids from government schools
due to the poor quality of teachers and amenities. They are opting from the
private schools, Chinese-Vernacular schools and home-schooling instead.